History will not look kindly on this chapter in American history. Our humanity is on the line. What will we tell our children and grandchildren about our current reality where refugees seeking safe haven from unimaginable violence are not only vilified and targeted in the name of American justice but placed in inhumane conditions in makeshift prisons like Alligator Alcatraz by the Trump administration? Will we choose to turn a blind eye to the blatant inhumanity and cruelty that this administration has unleashed on the country and our communities?
The silence of our elected representatives on this subject is deafening. It is unacceptable that human beings are being subjected to this cruel and inhumane treatment within our own country, being cut off from legal support and representation, and in some cases being sent to prisons outside of the country notorious for their human rights abuses. And their crime? In many cases, their crime is simply pursuing legal avenues to asylum and refuge from unimaginable conditions in their home countries.
Our silence is complicity. The silence of our representatives is complicity. What is our duty to those around us and to our community when violence and hatred are being normalized? When human beings are being systematically abused and targeted in our own communities, it is past time to speak up. We will be remembered for this moment and our inaction or action will speak volumes about who we are and what we choose to stand for.
Maren Williams Warnick, Centerville
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